Ultimate Guide to the Summer TV Schedule – 2008

Well, there is pretty much just the two-hour season finale of Lost left next week to close out the so-called regular TV season, so now what? But, you don’t have to wait until fall for new shows, there are plenty filling up the network and cable summer TV schedules. Yes, the networks are mostly full of crappy reality shows, but that’s where cable comes in to fill the scripted TV void. This summer TV guide will be updated with links to official websites, links to reviews, show descriptions and more, but I wanted to get it out so you can see what’s in store for summer.

Below you will find a listing of summer TV shows by day and then premiere or return date:

High School Musical: Get in the Picture (ABC): Series Premiere July 20th. The winner will get to appear in a music video that will play during the closing credits of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which opens in theaters this fall.

Project Runway (Bravo): Returns July 16th. Season 5 is the last on season to air on Bravo, as the show will be moving to Lifetime for season 6 and beyond, unless the lawsuit works out in NBC’s favor. Season 6 may be bringing back past contestants to compete again and will probably begin airing sometime in November.

Psych (USA): Returns July 18th. Read an interview with James Roday from TVaholic’s recent visit to the set. More interviews and photos to follow.

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO): Returns August 22nd.

Saturday Shows

The Academy (FOX Reality): Returns May 24th.

Primeval (BBC America): Returns August 8th.

Other Summer TV Shows (Not Yet Scheduled)

13 (The CW): Series Premiere.

Criss Angel: Mindfreak (A&E)

Do You Trust Me (CBS): Series Premiere.

Frank TV (TBS)

Game Show in My Head (CBS): Series Premiere.

Gavin & Stacey (BBC America): Series Premiere.

Gone Country (CMT)

Gotti’s Way (VH1)

The Hills (MTV): Returns August.

Hotel Babylon (BBC America)

The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Oxygen)

Mind Control With Derren Brown (Sci Fi)

Pamela (E!): Series Premiere.

Real Simple (TLC): Series Premiere.

Spaceballs: The Animated Series (G4): Series Premiere.

Sunset Tan (E!)

When Women Rule the World (FOX): Series Premiere. Good shot this never makes it to air.

Some Summer Shows You May Be Wondering About

The 4400 (USA): Has been cancelled.

Big Love (HBO): Due to the writers’ strike, it looks like it may be back in the fall, but possibly not until winter.

The Dead Zone (USA): Has been cancelled.

Entourage (HBO): Due to the writers’ strike, it looks like it will be back in the fall.

Flight of the Conchords (HBO): Due to the writers’ strike, it looks like it may be back in the fall, but it may not return until winter.

Kyle XY (ABC Family): Isn’t playing this summer, but it’s not gone. You just have to wait until January 2009 for new episodes.

Side Order of Life (Lifetime): Has been cancelled.

The Starter Wife (USA): The mini-series turned series will debut in the fall.

State of Mind (Lifetime): Has been cancelled.

Some of the summer shows that are returning that I am looking forward to are: Army Wives on Lifetime, Eureka on Sci Fi, Weeds on Showtime, My Boys on TBS, The Closer and Saving Grace on TNT, and Burn Notice, Monk and Psych on USA.

As for new shows this summer, I am looking forward to, they are: The Middleman on ABC Family, Flashpoint on CBS, and In Plain Sight on USA.

The Summer TV Schedule above will be updated throughout the summer, so if you’ve noticed something missing, please leave a comment or use the contact form to lets us know.

What new Summer 2008 TV shows are you looking forward to watching? How about returning summer series?

Tricia, It looks like Season 5 of Project Runway will begin airing sometime in July. It looks like I deleted it from the list, as it should have been listed under the shows “Not Yet Scheduled.” Thanks, I’ll put it back on the list.

Rissa, First, almost everything on the list will play during the normal primetime block in your timezone. Second, TVaholic subscribers, via RSS or email, can download the continually updated printable cable and network TV schedules that show both premiere dates and when in primetime they will play, all in a daily grid format that fits on one easily readable page. Third, this page is a work in progress, so thanks for the comment and suggestion.

I was wondering about a summer show CBS had on last year. I can’t remember the name but it was about three friends just out of college and they go to New York for vacation and one of their friends ends up framing the other two for a bomb in a museum and then they find out while they are on the run from the law that their friend is a super secret agent…anyway do you know if that show will return? It was pretty good.